How to Calculate Calories Needed Per Day

While many people live by the 2,000 calorie a day diet, the truth is the number of calories you need to maintain your body weight will vary greatly depending on your activity level and current weight. Caloric intake requirements should be calculated regularly with fluctuations in activity and weight loss or weight gain. A simple equation can help you determine the number of calories needed to maintain your weight. This number can then be altered to either lose or gain weight.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Calculate your daily calorie intake with the following equation. Active males can determine the number of calories needed to maintain body weight by multiplying their weight in pounds by 15, while active females should multiply their weight by 12. Inactive males should calculate daily caloric intake by multiplying their body weight by 13, and inactive females should multiply their weight by 10.
2. Determine how many of your calories should be derived from fat. Use the number of calories determined through the first equation and multiply the number by .30, or 30 percent for the number of fat calories you need daily.
3. Figure the number of grams that constitute the number of fat calories needed each day to maintain body weight by dividing the number of fat calories by nine. The resulting number is the amount of fat grams you should take in daily.
4. Lose one pound per week by creating a calorie deficit of 500 calories daily. For example, if your body requires 2,000 calories to maintain your body weight, you should take in only 1,500 calories per day to lose a steady pound per week. Gain one pound per week by adding an additional 500 calories to your determined daily calorie intake.
5. When calculating fat grams for weight loss or weight gain, add or subtract 500 from the number of calories needed to maintain body weight, and recalculate fat calories and fat grams.